Fantastic 4

Project Kasai

By KarumA-chan

This is set after seeing the first movie and is a rewritten and improved version of the Kasai story I have already.

The cold wind was a predecessor to the winter to come. The leaves were blown over the dry grass, in between the paths of stone graves that spread out over the planes. In the distance a limousine was driving down the road, through the gates and into the resting place. The driver opened the back door and a woman stepped out, long blonde hair flying in the wind and in her hands a bouquet of flowers to which she held on tightly.

The driver stayed behind and watched as she walked through the grass to a particular grave. A single long stone next to which she crouched down and laid the flowers. Her hands passed over the carved out letters.

Here lies Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm.

Loved brother and friend.

The date underneath was in the same month, the year however had already come to pass.

"It's been a while hasn't, Johnny." His sister sat down with her back against the grave, looking up at the blue and gray sky while a tear rolled down her face. She whipped it away and smiled, a ring around her finger.

"I'm sorry, I know you hate it when I cry." She was married now, married to the man of her dreams Reed Richards. Yesterday had been their wedding day and today she was telling her brother about that day, the day when she missed him dearly but when she also knew that he was present. Ben had been the best man, had even honoured Johnny in his speech after. "Watch over them, matchstick. Or I'll come up there and burn you out a second time!" He had said with pain in his heart. After all Johnny would be listening, he wouldn't miss his sister's wedding after all that had happened to them.

A lot had happened indeed, next to the accident that gave them their powers and Doom going crazy Johnny had died in an accident. He was with a woman driving down in the outskirts of New York, not in the city but outside of it. The accident happened sudden, a truck carrying a large shipment of chemicals lost control and crashed into them. Johnny had been able to save the woman he was driving with but in the process was crushed and had died shortly after the paramedics arrived. Sue couldn't believe it at first but she had seen his body, they all had because none of them believed it to be true. One phone call and her brother was gone.

She had missed him long after, didn't know how to go on with her life until she finally got her act together. The realisation that Johnny wouldn't want her to mourn to the point where it was unhealthy for her. Slowly she picked up her life again, picked up the pieces and learned how to live happy again. At first she visited Johnny a lot more often but now that had lessened and with the wedding day yesterday and her going on a honeymoon with Reed this evening she figured that she might as well visit him before leaving.

The Baxter building was well under chaos. With Reed packing whatever was needed for the trip and Ben doing the heavy lifting. As always Reed tried to take his work with him, he was being very sensitive to Ben's way of handling his luggage and constantly told him to be careful not only with what he was bringing but also with what he was leaving behind. The elevator opened and Sue walked through, avoiding the mass of suitcases near the elevator and toward the fussing friends.

"Hey Suzie, how was it?" Ben asked her. "Same as usual. I'm glad I went, Ben. Hey there Mr. Richards." She smiled as she looked from Ben to Reed, the man's protectiveness forgotten and he stretched out his neck to peck her on the cheek. "Hey back, Misses Richards" "Easy there, leave some for the holiday." She walked passed him toward the bedroom, after all she still hadn't started packing for their cruise through the Caribbean.

They left late in the evening, it was already dark outside when Ben waved them off as they drove off in a taxi. Ben was alone now, which was something he still had to get used to. Not having Johnny around anymore made him bitter, the lack of comical responses and silly disputes were taking a toll on him. Maybe he'd give Alicia a call to come over.

Once upstairs he noticed something different and passing into the living room he saw that one of the balcony windows were wide open. The wind was blowing through, taking leaves and dirt into the house. As he listened he heard something: furniture falling over, things breaking and he quietly made his way down the hall.

The sound was coming from Sue and Reed's bedroom, Ben backed against the wall and looked around the corner to see who it was. A burglar, maybe, but the first thing he laid eyes on was a gun holstered around the intruder's hip. It didn't look like anything you could get from the streets. The intruder was forging his way through a dresser, seemingly not caring about the noise he was making as everything that didn't look important was thrown aside. Ben found it strange that anyone would be looking through Reed and Sue's dresser, there was nothing of importance hidden there. The figure stopped looking then, held something up and Ben tried to move in closer to take a better look. Bad idea but he managed to back away before he could be seen. The figure turned, put away whatever he was holding and unsheathed a dagger hidden under his leather attire. Red glassed goggles covered his eyes, his face was entirely masked up: cloth covering his nose and mouth. The attire he was wearing was definitely not cheap, Ben knew by its look that this guy knew what he was doing. The man was walking towards the entrance, his shadow growing against the wall opposite to Ben. He took one more deep breath before. "It's clobbering time!" But that said the room he faced was now empty, the person gone and he stepped forward confused about the situation. A sudden thumb from behind and before he could turn he was kicked in the back stronger than he had accounted for, he flew forward into the dresser, destroying it and making a small crater in the wall behind it.

He quickly got to his feet again and turned around. The intruder was just standing there, head crooked as if he was waiting for him, tempting him to make the first move. Ben was never one to play games. "Why you!" He charged forward, the intruder side stepped and dodged him but Ben knew better and quickly turned to give him a left punch. The intruder ducked and shot forward with the dagger he was holding, strange by Ben's thoughts because like he knew the dagger broke against the hard rock like skin he had. The intruder looked astonished by this, Ben took this opportunity and stomped him with his right fist, one that the intruder was unable to dodge.

The blow was hard and flew the intruder through the wall and into the living room. There was dust everywhere, amongst the rubble the intruder was slowly getting up, coughing and moaning while holding his head. Ben walks through the made hole. "You picked the wrong house to break into pal!"

The intruder looked tired, but nonetheless put up his fists, estranged by this Ben charges again but before he can hit him he feels a pair of hands on his shoulders, the intruder flips himself over and around while locking his legs around the big guy's waist and his arms around his throat. Ben tried to get him off, but is unable due to the guy's strength and rams himself into one of the walls. He hears a groan, a snap of maybe a rib and does it again and again. Through the glasses the intruder's eyes start to glow red and though Ben couldn't see it, small flames start licking over the back of his suit but they caught his eyes when he finally got a hold of him and threw him over against the wall. That was when he noticed them and his eyes opened in shock at the sight of them. The intruder was now lying upside down against the wall, flames slowly going out. His mask ripped lightly on one side, an earplug hanging out. In shock Ben could do nothing but stare as the intruder slowly rolled over and made his way to the balcony with one hand wrapped around his waist while the other fixed his ear plug. There was a loud sound coming from outside Ben noticed now and the sudden appearance of bright light made him snap out of his shock. The intruder was getting away, was being picked up by whoever was out there but Ben wouldn't let him. "Wait!" Before Ben knew what he was doing he ran outside, shots were fired at that point but he tackled the intruder to the ground. Suddenly the lights were gone and the sound vanished and as he sat up he noticed blood. Not his but from the person beneath him.

The shots weren't meant for him, but for this guy and he was lying there unmoving with blood running from two wounds in his chest and more coming from his head. Worried about the guy he grabbed the goggles and removed them before zipping open the cat suit. What he saw shocked him, because before him was no one other that the dead Jonathan Storm.